Rank the following in terms of increasing inertia:
A. A 10,000 kg train car at rest
B. A 100 kg person running at 5 m/s
C. A 1200 kg car going 15 m/s
D. A 15 kg meteor going at a speed of 1000 m/s
Inertia: a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force. (Oxford Dictionary)
Objects of greater mass will have greater inertia; i.e., greater resistance to any force that makes them accelerate.
Inertia is a property of matter that measures an object's resistance to changes in its motion. The greater the mass of an object, the greater its inertia. Based on this principle, we can rank the given objects in terms of increasing inertia:
1. B. A 100 kg person running at 5 m/s (lowest inertia)
A person running has relatively low mass compared to the other objects on the list, so it has the lowest inertia.
2. C. A 1200 kg car going 15 m/s
The 1200 kg car has more mass than the 100 kg person running, so it has a higher inertia.
3. D. A 15 kg meteor going at a speed of 1000 m/s
The 15 kg meteor has more mass than the previous objects, so it has a higher inertia.
4. A. A 10,000 kg train car at rest (highest inertia)
The train car has the highest mass among the given objects, so it has the highest inertia.
To rank the given objects in terms of increasing inertia, we need to understand the concept of inertia first. Inertia is the property of an object that describes its resistance to changes in motion. Objects with greater mass have greater inertia.
Now, let's analyze each option and determine their inertia:
A. A 10,000 kg train car at rest:
Since the train car has a mass of 10,000 kg, it has a relatively higher mass compared to the other objects. Therefore, it will have the greatest inertia in this list.
B. A 100 kg person running at 5 m/s:
The person running has a mass of 100 kg, which is significantly less than the train car. Therefore, it will have lower inertia compared to the train car but higher inertia than the remaining options.
C. A 1200 kg car going 15 m/s:
The car has a mass of 1200 kg, which is greater than the 100 kg person but less than the train car. Therefore, the car will have lower inertia than the train car but greater inertia than the person running.
D. A 15 kg meteor going at a speed of 1000 m/s:
The meteor has the least mass among all the options, with just 15 kg. Therefore, it will have the lowest inertia.
Based on the above analysis, the ranking in terms of increasing inertia is as follows:
D. A 15 kg meteor going at a speed of 1000 m/s
B. A 100 kg person running at 5 m/s
C. A 1200 kg car going 15 m/s
A. A 10,000 kg train car at rest